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MacDonald, Bullen Post Wins in Germany, Continue Charge Up Women’s Rankings for July

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (July 12) – Former world champion Jessica MacDONALD (CAN) and recently crowned European champion Grace BULLEN (NOR) each posted big wins Germany in June to continue their charge up this month’s United World Wrestling rankings for women.

MacDonald returned to the mats in January after a 14-month maternity leave and hit her stride in May with the 53kg title at the Pan American championships in Brazil to rejoin the rankings at No.14. The 2012 world champion then took the German Grand Prix title in Dormagen in June to vault to No.7 at the women’s lightweight.

Meanwhile, Bullen, who turned 20 in February, won her first senior European championship title in May in Novi Sad, and then followed that up with a tour de force in Dormagen, Germany, for her third European junior title in a row to climb from No.8 to fourth in the welterweight rankings.

With the focus in June on three junior continental championships, changes in the upper half of the rankings were limited while changes in the lower halves resulted from the German Grand Prix and a handful of junior results.

The biggest moves of the month resulted from a victory at 55kg in Dormagen by senior European bronze medal winner Mathilde RIVIERE (FRA) and at 58kg in Dortmund as Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) muscled her way into the 58kg final at the European junior meet only to be undone by Bullen. Riviere and Nichita both went from unranked to No.12 in their respective categories.

Also, other results of note included senior European bronze medalist Alina VUC (ROU) going from 18th to No.12 at 48kg with a victory by fall over Rio 2016 bronze medal finalist Patricia BERMUDEZ (ARG).

Belorussian duo Katerina PICHKOVSKAYA (53kg) and Evgenia ANDREICHENKO (75kg) both joined the rankings at No.17 following bronze medals at the European junior championships. Pichkovskaya’s month also included a bronze medal at the grand prix in Dormagen.

Wrestlers in the rankings are listed by name, country code, most notable or most recent result over the last 12 months, and their position in the previous rankings.

48kg – Jade PARSONS (CAN) won the Sassari Tourney and finished second to Alina VUC (ROU) at the German Grand Prix to claim No.15 in the rankings.

63kg – 2015 Pan American Games gold medalist Braxton STONE (CAN) cruised to the middleweight title in Dormagen after a triumph in Brazil to climb to No.13, while Maria KUZNETZOVA (RUS) won at the European juniors event down the road to take over the No.16 position.